T-Kit 13 Sustainability and Youth Work
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T-KIT 13 Sustainability and Human beings are responsible for a number of crises which threaten the future of life youth work on earth. However, there is now a growing realisation that our practices are not only harmful for the other living creatures on the planet, they are also potentially fatal for humans. There is a need to recognise the harm in these practices and to play an active part in trying to move towards more sustainable ones. T-KIT Sustainability work and youth 13 Sustainability is not only about addressing environmental threats, it is also about ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy human rights in a way which does not jeopardise the rights of human beings in the future. These should include social and economic, civil and political, cultural and environmental rights. Today, it is vital that young people have opportunities to engage in reflection and action in relation to sustainability. Future generations will increasingly see the consequences of climate change – and other problems. Young people need to understand this and take the lead both in adopting more sustainable lifestyles and in creating solutions. This T-Kit is a practical tool to begin that process. It is designed primarily for youth workers and educators to introduce the topic of sustainability to young people in a non-formal setting. The manual includes information about the issues related to sustainability, educational activities that will familiarise learners with some of the problems facing the globe and encourage them to discuss solutions. This T-Kit offers information about how youth groups can make a difference in their locality, and perhaps beyond. http://youth-partnership-eu.coe.int PREMS 015218 [email protected] ENG The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human The European Union is a unique economic and political rights organisation. It comprises 47 member states, 28 of partnership between 28 democratic European countries. Its aims are The training kits series which are members of the European Union. All Council peace, prosperity and freedom for its 500 million citizens – in a fairer, of Europe member states have signed up to the European safer world. To make things happen, EU countries set up bodies to Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect run the EU and adopt its legislation. The main ones are the European human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The European Parliament (representing the people of Europe), the Council of Court of Human Rights oversees the implementation the European Union (representing national governments) and the of the Convention in the member states. European Commission (representing the common EU interest). www.coe.int http://europa.eu http://book.coe.int ISBN 978-92-871-8578-5 €21/US$42 9 789287 185785 T-Kit 13 Sustainability and youth work Editor Ellie Keen Authors Ellie Keen Justina Pinkeviciute Alan Hayes Agi Berecz Burcu Meltem Arık Akyüz Council of Europe The opinions expressed in this work, commissioned by the European Union–Council of Europe youth partnership, are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of either Welcome to the T-Kit series of the partner institutions, their member states or the organisations co-operating with them. Some of you may have wondered: what does T-Kit mean? We can offer at least two answers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may The first is as simple as the full version in English: be translated, reproduced or transmitted, in any form “training kit”. The second has more to do with the or by any means, electronic (CD-Rom, internet, etc.) sound of “T-Kit”, the word that may easily recall or mechanical, including photocopying, recording “ticket”, one of the travel documents we usu- or any information storage or retrieval system, ally need to go on a journey. For us, this T-Kit is without prior permission in writing a tool that each of us can use in our work. from the Directorate of Communication More specifically, we would like to address (F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex or [email protected]). youth workers and trainers, and offer them theoretical and practical tools to work with and use when training young people. Illustrations: Matia Losego The T-Kit Series is the result of a collective effort Cover photos: Shutterstock.com involving people from different cultural, profes- Layout and cover design: sional and organisational backgrounds. Youth Documents and Publications Production trainers, youth leaders in NGOs and professional Department (SPDP), Council of Europe writers have worked together in order to create high-quality publications that address the needs Council of Europe Publishing of the target group while recognising the diversity F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex of approaches across Europe to each subject. http://book.coe.int The T-Kits are a product of the partnership ISBN 978-92-871-8578-5 between the European Commission and the © Council of Europe and European Commission, Council of Europe in the field of youth. June 2018 To find out more, visit the website: Printed at the Council of Europe pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/youth-partnership Contents CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 5 CHAPTER 2 – SUSTAINABILITY: THE ISSUES 7 What is sustainability? 7 Sustainable Development Goals 8 Europe and sustainability 9 CHAPTER 3 – EDUCATION AND YOUTH WORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY 15 Education for sustainability 15 Youth work for sustainability 15 Aims and objectives of education for sustainability 16 Knowledge, skills and attitudes 17 Methodological principles 18 Using the activities 21 CHAPTER 4 – ACTIVITIES 23 Summary of activities 24 CHAPTER 5 – MAKING A DIFFERENCE 105 The importance of hope 105 Picking your issue 106 Campaigning and advocacy 109 Planning an action 110 CHAPTER 6 – SUSTAINABILITY CHECKLIST 113 Management and working practices 113 Management of office and youth space 114 Meetings and gatherings 115 BIBLIOGRAPHY 117 Page 3 Chapter 1 Introduction uman beings are responsible for a number of crises which threaten the very future of life on earth. For centuries, we have treated the planet as if its natural resources were limitless and as if we could spoil H them, use them and then discard them. We have spilt billions of litres of oil into the seas, cleared millions of acres of rainforest, mined deep underground, producing toxic slag heaps, stripped the natural minerals from the soil through industrial farming methods, and filled the atmosphere with dangerous levels of carbon dioxide, leading to potential climate breakdown. The list could be continued, but the last item alone could put an end to all life on earth. However, there is now a growing realisation that such profligate practices are not only harmful for other living creatures on the planet, they are also potentially fatal for humans. In developing countries, in particular, the results are already being seen: droughts, hurricanes and other natural disasters are destroying people’s homes and livelihoods and are also a major factor in the flood of refugees seeking a better life. Many of these refugees are ending up in Europe, making it more difficult for our politicians to avert their gaze from problems in less developed countries. Europe has perhaps contributed more than any other region to these problems. Now we need to recognise our role in causing them, and play an active part in trying to resolve them. Education is one means of doing so. It is the next generations who will increasingly see the consequences of climate change – and other problems – and the consequences will not be confined to the less developed regions. Already Europe has seen increasingly erratic and extreme weather events, and these will increase in future years. So young people need to understand and take the lead both in adopting more sustainable lifestyles and in creating solutions for the region as a whole. This manual is a practical tool to begin that process. It is designed primarily for youth workers and educators to introduce the topic of sustainability to young people in a non-formal setting. However, it will also be suit- able for groups of youth workers, youth leaders or educators who may be looking for training on the topic of sustainability. By means of the activities in the main body of the manual, young people and those who work with them can familiarise themselves with some of the problems facing the globe, and begin to discuss solutions. The last two chapters of the manual take matters further: this is an opportunity for youth groups to begin to make a difference in their locality, and perhaps beyond. CHAPTER OUTLINE Chapter 2. Sustainability: the issues Chapter 2 looks at the definition of “sustainability” and “sustainable development” and describes the interna- tional efforts to put sustainability on the agenda of national governments, in particular through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The last section of the chapter explores Europe’s record on sustainability. Chapter 3. Education and youth work for sustainability Chapter 3 introduces the idea of education for sustainability and includes some practical and methodological advice for running the activities in Chapter 4. Chapter 4. Activities Chapter 4 includes 18 activities on sustainability, at different levels of complexity and addressing a number of different issues. Each activity contains detailed instructions, and some also provide additional background information. The last part of each activity makes some suggestions for how young people can take forward the work done in the session and begin to make a difference in their communities. Page 5 Chapter 5. Making a difference Chapter 5 will help you with supporting your group to take action in the community: it offers some background principles and methodological advice, including on planning actions with a group.